Protests target Olympics ahead of gala opening

August 5, 2016 11:53 pm

By AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug 5 – The Olympic torch wound its way around Rio de Janeiro’s landmarks on Friday as protesters unleashed a final blast of anger before the opening ceremony of the trouble-plagued sporting spectacle.

The carnival capital of the world is hoping the extravaganza at the Maracana Stadium will draw a line under a turbulent seven-year build-up dogged by recession, rising crime and doping scandals.

The torch was taken to the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio and other landmarks as it moved slowly toward the Maracana where the opening ceremony starts at 2300 GMT.

But as the clock ticked down to the start of the first South American Olympics in history, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to vent their fury at Brazil’s rulers and the multi-billion-dollar cost of the Games.

Waving signs reading “No to the Olympics!”, about 3,000 gathered outside the luxury Copacabana Palace Hotel where many Olympic athletes are staying.

Brazil has spent more than $10 billion on new infrastructure and preparing for the Games at a time of economic crisis.

The billions lavished on the Games has angered many Brazilians as the country grapples with a tanking economy and a grim litany of social problems.

Further protests were expected around the 78,600-seat Maracana before it hosts a parade of athletes from 207 teams — Kosovo and South Sudan are present for the first time — and dozens of world leaders.

The party will kick-off after the most crisis-ridden build-up to an Olympics in history, with a biting recession, double-digit unemployment, soaring crime and a public health crisis caused by the Zika virus just a few of the problems ravaging the city.

A political crisis led to the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, meaning the Brazilian leader will miss Friday’s ceremony.

A vast security blanket of 85,000 military and police — twice the number on duty at the 2012 London Games — will be draped over the city to ward off the threat of street crime and terror attacks.

That has not been able to offer total protection, with a spate of thefts from the Olympic Athletes village. The Danish, Chinese and Australian delegations have all reported items stolen. Journalists’ cameras and laptops have also been targeted for thefts.

– Drug scandal –

Anticipation for the sporting battles has been eclipsed by fallout from the Russian doping scandal that has divided the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The IOC’s decision not to impose a blanket ban on Russia following revelations of a state-sponsored doping program opened the door to legal turmoil that left the precise make-up of the Russian team in limbo.

On Thursday, the IOC confirmed the Russian team would be made up of 271 athletes, with 118 eliminated because of the drug scandal.

Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov said the team was “probably the cleanest in Rio” because of all the tests and checks they have undergone.

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